NASA Begins Fueling Space Shuttle Discovery For Final Mission

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, xenon lights illuminate space shuttle Discovery on Launch Pad 39A following the retraction of the rotating service structure on Nov. 3, ahead of its launch on the STS-133 shuttle mission.

The roughly three-hour long fueling process, called tanking,began at 5:58 a.m. EDT (0958 GMT). It involves filling the tank with more than 500,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. This fuel will power Discovery's three main engines during liftoff and ascent into orbit.

The mission has been delayedsince Monday (Nov. 1) due to minor last-minute hiccups and stormy weatherthat drenched the Florida spaceport yesterday.

Current weather forecasts, however, show a significantimprovement for today's launch. Estimates are projecting a 60 percent chance ofacceptable conditions, with the main concern being high winds in the area.

Top mission managers will meet today at 5 a.m. EDT(0900 GMT) to reassess the weather situation.

With NASA's shuttle fleet set to retire next year, today'slaunch attempt will be the beginning of the end for Discovery. The shuttle ismaking its 39th and final spaceflight with this launch, and will be the firstof NASA's remaining three shuttles to be retired. [GRAPHIC:NASA's Space Shuttle ? From Top to Bottom]

Discovery will fly an 11-day supply mission to theInternational Space Station to deliver a humanoid robot helper for the stationcrew and a new storage room for the orbiting lab. The intrepid orbiter and herbehind-the-scenes engineering team have already faced down a series ofsetbacks, including a pair of gas leaks, an electrical glitch and, mostrecently, uncooperative weather.

If bad weather prevents Discovery's launch again today, NASAcould try again on Saturday. The space agency has until Sunday, Nov. 7 ? andpossibly Monday ? to fly Discovery before its current launch window closes.

The shuttle's final six-astronautSTS-133 crew is a veteran team made up of commander Steve Lindsey, pilotEric Boe, and mission specialists Alvin Drew, Tim Kopra, Michael Barratt andNicole Stott.

Discovery's 11-day mission will include two spacewalks,during which mission specialists Drew and Kopra will perform maintenance taskson the exterior of the station.

Discovery's STS-133 mission will be the orbiter's finale inspace beforebeing retired along with the rest of NASA's shuttle fleet in 2011.

"It's a remarkable team that gets her ready tofly," Payne said about the many people behind Discovery's final voyage."They put their heart and soul into this one. They know it's her lastflight. She's now poised to take to the skies, and when she goes, she's goingto take a little bit of every one of us with her."